Virtual reality viewer and input mechanism

ABSTRACT

The present invention concerns virtual reality viewers for use with touchscreen enabled mobile devices. The virtual reality viewer comprises: a housing configured to receive a mobile electronic device within an interior of the housing; and an input mechanism that is accessible from an exterior of the housing and that is moveable within the interior between a first position and an extended position, wherein a surface of the input mechanism is configured to contact the touch-screen of the mobile electronic device when in the extended position. The disclosed systems and methods facilitate receiving user inputs on the exterior of the housing and providing the user inputs to the touchscreen within the housing using the electro-mechanical input mechanism. Accordingly, the viewer can be used with a variety of smartphones without requiring magnetic switches or a wireless/cable connection between the input device and the smartphone.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/723,769, files Dec. 20, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/726,079, filed Oct. 5, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No.10,528,199, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/448,785, filed Mar. 3, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,811,184, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/209,397, filed Jul.13, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,723,117, which is a continuation of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/801,606, filed Jul. 16, 2015, now U.S.Pat. No. 9,420,075, which claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/161,857, filed May 14, 2015 and to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/025,376, filed Jul. 16, 2014, each of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not applicable.

INCORPORATION-BY-REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR ASA TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC SYSTEM (EFS-WEB)

Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINTINVENTOR

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Virtual reality viewers and headsets (collectively referred to asviewers) are becoming an increasingly popular way of viewing digitalmedia, gaming and the like. With the widespread distribution of powerfuland capable smartphone devices, many VR viewers are designed to use suchsmartphone devices as the visual display device, instead of havingdedicated displays and electronics.

Typically the viewers have a housing that a user looks into in order toview the video display device contained within the housing. Viewers canbe hand-held devices that a user holds up to the users face/eyes, forexample, like a user would hold a pair of binoculars, Viewers can alsobe worn on a user's head, so as to free the user's hands while lookinginto the viewer.

As would be understood by those in the art, viewers configured to use asmartphone as the visual display device typically receive the smartphonesuch that the smart phone display is viewable when a user looks into theviewer housing. These viewers also typically include one or more opticallenses within the housing so as to facilitate a three-dimensionalviewing experience despite the two-dimensional display of thesmartphone. In some instances, the smartphone is completely containedwithin the housing, in other implementations the smartphone is attachedto the housing in a manner such that the display is exposed within theinterior of the viewer

One challenge to utilizing a smartphone in these types of viewers isthat the touch sensitive display is concealed within the viewer housing,thereby making it difficult for a user to interact with the touchsensitive display of the device. To overcome this, some existing VRviewers utilize magnets on the exterior of the viewer as input devices,however one drawback is that the locations of magnetic sensors onsmartphones vary from device to device and, as such, these viewers withmagnetic inputs are only effectively used with a limited number ofdevices. Other VR viewers utilize built in accelerometers or other suchposition/orientation sensors within the smartphone to detect movement orthe absence of movement and identify user inputs using the movementdata. Other VR viewers utilize dedicated input devices, like video gamecontrollers, that connect to the electronic device within the viewereither by a wired plug like connection (e.g., USB or Apple compatibleconnector), or a wireless connection capabilities. However, such VRviewer configurations typically require complex electronic circuitry andwireless connectivity capabilities in order to facilitate the captureand transfer of user inputs. Moreover, dedicated input controllers canbe cumbersome when used with hand-held viewer.

What is needed is a VR viewer having integrated user input devices thatis configured for use with a wide variety of conventionally availablesmartphone devices.

These considerations are addressed by the present invention.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention concerns a virtual reality viewer including aninput mechanism that can be used with mobile electronic device having atouchscreen contained within the viewer. According to a first aspect,the virtual reality viewer for use with a mobile electronic devicehaving a touch-screen, comprises: a housing configured to receive amobile electronic device within an interior of the housing. In addition,the viewer further comprises an input mechanism that is accessible froman exterior of the housing and is moveable within the interior betweenat least a first position and an extended position, wherein a surface ofthe input mechanism is configured to contact the touch-screen of themobile electronic device when in the extended position.

According to another aspect, the virtual reality viewer for use with amobile electronic device having a touch-screen, comprises: a housingconfigured to receive a mobile electronic device within an interior ofthe housing; and an input device including a first portion that isaccessible from an exterior of the housing, and a surface within theinterior that is configured to contact the touch-screen of the mobileelectronic device and transfer a capacitive touch input to thetouch-screen in response to a user interaction with the first portion.

These and other aspects, features, steps and advantages can be furtherappreciated from the accompanying figures and description of certainillustrative embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary virtual reality viewer;

FIG. 2 illustrates the viewer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates the viewer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary virtual reality viewer;

FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary virtual reality viewer;

FIG. 6A illustrates an exemplary virtual reality viewer including aninput mechanism in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 6B illustrates the viewer of FIG. 6A;

FIG. 7A illustrates an exemplary input mechanism for a virtual realityviewer in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7B illustrates the exemplary input mechanism for a virtual realityviewer of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 7C illustrates an exemplary virtual reality viewer including theinput mechanism of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 7D illustrates the exemplary viewer and input mechanism of FIG. 7C;

FIG. 7E illustrates the exemplary viewer and input mechanism of FIG. 7C;and

FIG. 7F illustrates the exemplary viewer and input mechanism of FIG. 7C.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

According to an aspect of the subject application, Virtual realityviewer systems and methods are provided that facilitate the capture ofuser inputs while using the virtual reality viewer, More specifically,the disclosed systems and methods provide a virtual reality viewer foruse with a wide variety of personal electronic devices (e.g., asmartphone) as the visual display device, and having improved tactileuser input capabilities.

According to a salient aspect, the disclosed systems and methodsfacilitate receiving tactile user inputs (e.g., user touches, buttondepressions etc.) on the exterior of the housing of the viewer andproviding the user inputs to the touch sensitive display of thesmartphone device that is within the viewer housing. In this manner, thedisclosed systems and methods provide a viewer that is configured to beuseable with a wide variety of smartphones without requiring inputdevices that require specifically placed magnetic sensors, wireless ordedicated cable connection to the electronic device 15.

In one arrangement, the viewer is provided having a housing thatencloses a generally hollow interior. As shown in FIG. 1, which is aperspective view of an exemplary viewer 10 having a conventionalconstruction without an input mechanism. As shown, the viewer comprisesa housing 12 that includes a front surface 30 back surface 25, topsurface 45, bottom surface 50 (not shown), left surface 40 and rightsurface 35.

In some implementations, when in operation, housing 12 will be disposedin the position directly in front of the user's eyes such that thelenses contained in the housing, are in alignment with each of theuser's eyes and the display of the electronic device is viewable throughthe lenses. It should be understood that the housing can be held by theuser, or worn by the user such that the back surface of the housing isheld against or in proximity to the users face.

The housing 12 is configured to receive an electronic device 15 having atouch sensitive display. The electronic device 15 can be any electronicdevice configured to visually display information via a display (e.g.,LED, Plasma, LCD display) and receive user inputs via a touch sensitiveuser interface (e.g., a capacitive touch sensitive display), as would beunderstood by those skilled in the art. For example and withoutlimitation, electronic device 15 can include a smartphone or other suchpersonal electronic device having a touch sensitive display, forexample, an iPhone or Android smartphone device and the like that arecommercially available.

Preferably the electronic device 15 is received or mounted within theinterior of the housing 12 such that the electronic device display 17 isviewable when the user is looking through the housing 12. By way offurther example, the electronic device 15, can be mounted on the housingsuch that it defines the back surface of the viewer. It can beappreciated that other configurations for the viewer 10 are envisionedwithout departing from the scope of the invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, which is a back view of the viewer (the terminologyback side of refers to the side that the user looks into), preferablythe housing 12 is configured to receive the electronic device 15 suchthat the touch sensitive display 17 of the device 15 is centered in avertical direction 80 and/or a horizontal direction 85.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in some implementations, the housing includesone or more lenses 70 disposed therein arranged to be in alignment withthe user's eyes when the user looks into the viewer. Generally, lenses70 are mounted such that light from the display of the electronic devicepasses through lenses 70 to the user's eyes. The configuration,construction and placement of a lens or lenses 70 for use in virtualreality viewers are generally known and understood by those skilled inthe art.

A view divider 20 can also be disposed within the housing. FIG. 4 is aperspective view of an exemplary configuration of a viewer 10 without atop, bottom and sides and showing the interior space of the viewerincluding the view divider 20. FIG. 5 shows a bottom view of theinterior of an exemplary viewer 10 including view divider 20 and havingthe left and right, bottom and front sides removed. Referring to FIG. 5,the view divider 20 is configured to isolate the field of view of theleft eye from the right eye. In other words, the view divider serves toobstruct the right eye from seeing or receiving images displayed by theleft portion 19 of the display 17 of the electronic device 15 and theleft eye from seeing images displayed by the tight portion 18 of thedisplay 17. It should also be appreciated that the particular width ofthe left and right portions of the display that are actually viewable bythe user can vary depending on the lenses. In some implementations viewdividers are not used.

Between the left and right portion of the display 17 is a centralportion 14 of the display. The central portion of the display is notviewable by either the left or right eye due to the view divider 20,and, in addition or alternatively, due to the optical characteristics ofthe lenses 70. The width of the central portion 14 can range from thewidth of the view divider 20 but can be larger depending on the opticalcharacteristics of the lenses 70. The central portion 14 that is notviewable by either the left or right eye can also vary in shapedepending on the optical characteristics of the lenses. For example, itmight be rectangular or an hour glass shape that is wider towards thetop and bottom sides of the viewer and narrower in the middle section ofthe display 17.

In one arrangement, the viewer 10 is configured to include one or moreinput devices that are configured to receive user inputs at the exteriorof the viewer and provide such inputs directly to the touch sensitivedisplay 17. The input devices can be configured to be passive and/oractive input devices.

Preferably the inputs are provided to the display at the central portion14 of the display, however one or more of the user inputs can beprovided to the electronic device at alternative portions of the display17 as well. Because the central portion 14 of the display is notviewable by the left or right eye to, by providing inputs at the centralportion 14, the viewer 10 is capable of providing inputs to theelectronic device 15 in a manner that does not disturb the field of viewof the left or right eye. Moreover, because the device 15 is receivedwithin the housing and preferably positioned such that the display 17portion of the device is generally centered in at least a horizontaldirection and often in vertical direction as well, providing inputs inthe central portion 14, for example, where the view divider 20 isproximate to the display 17, allows the systems and methods disclosedherein to be useable with a wide variety of touch sensitive smartphonedevices of various sizes and screen layouts. Moreover, software can beconfigured universally to these touch points regardless of the shape orsize of the device because of the centered location.

An exemplary implementation of a viewer including an input mechanism inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 6A-6B,which depict a cross-sectional view and of the exemplary viewer 10,including the view divider 20 and the electronic device 15 from the sideand back perspective respectively. As shown, the viewer includes inputdevices that include one or more touchscreen inputs (26 a-26 d). In thisparticular exemplary configuration, the touchscreen inputs (26 a-26 d)are disposed on the distal surface 22 of the view divider 20.Preferably, the electronic device 15 is mounted in a manner such thatthe touch sensitive display 17 of the device 15, is proximate to (or istouching) at least a portion of the distal surface 22 of the viewdivider 20, such that the display 17 (not shown from this particularperspective) of the device is in physical contact with the surface ofthe touchscreen input portion of the input mechanism.

As most smartphones have capacitive torch sensitive displays, in anexemplary implementation, the touchscreen inputs (26 a-26 d) areconstructed from a conductive material, for example, a conductive foamor polymer and the like as are used as the tip of a stylus configuredfor use with a capacitive touch screen. A compressible material willallow the housing to accommodate devices of varying thicknesses andcreate a capacitive connection between the display and the touchscreeninputs without the screen touching other portions of the surface 22, forexample, to prevent scratching of the screen, provide communicativeconnection between touchscreen input and the touchscreen withoutcross-talk and other such considerations.

Preferably, the touchscreen inputs (26 a-26 d) are electrically coupledto one or more user inputs (29 a-29 d) that are configured to receiveuser interactions while using the viewer. Preferably the user inputs (29a-29 d) are exposed on the outer surfaces of the housing or positionedon the exterior of the housing 12 such that the user can interact withthe user inputs (29 a-29 d) while using the viewer 10, although otherconfigurations are envisioned without departing from the scope of theinvention. The user inputs are configured to sense/detect or receive theuser interactions and transmit/transfer/relay the user interaction tothe touch sensitive display via the touch screen inputs (26 a-26 d). Insome implementations, the user inputs relay the user interactions to thetouch screen inputs (26 a-26 d) via input leads (28 a-28 d),respectively. For example and without limitation, input leads can beconductive wires/leads that electrically couple the user inputs (29 a-29d) to touchscreen inputs (26 a-26 d).

In such an exemplary configuration in which the input device is apassive input device, the user inputs (e.g., 29 a-29 d) are preferablyconstructed of conductive material, for example, a metalized polymer,conductive polymers, conductive/capacitive inks, carbon based inks orother such inks designed to activate capacitive screens. Accordingly, auser touch of a conductive user input (e.g., 29 a), via the conductivelead (e.g., 28 a) and touchscreen input (e.g., 26 a), will alter theelectrical properties of the portion of the display 17 that is incontact with the touchscreen input.

As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the device 15 havinga capacitive touch sensitive display 17 can detect the particularlocation of a change in the electrical property that is caused by theuser touch of the user input (e.g., 29 a). As would be understood bythose skilled in the art, based on the particular location of the sensedchange, the device 15, which has a processor executing instructions inthe form of code, can interpret that an electrical change sensed at aparticular location on the display 17 corresponds to a user interactionwith a particular user input and corresponds to a prescribed inputinstruction, for example, a left mouse click or a right mouse click, ora double click, or as the user moving a cursor, or other such functions.Moreover, it would be understood that other combinations of userinteractions sensed by the touch sensitive display can be interpreted asone or more of a number of user inputs such as pushing all 4 buttons atonce could represent grabbing a virtual item. The 3 dimensional physicalinteraction offered by the users hands wrapping around the virtualreality viewer and interacting with the inputs can more easily betranslated into 3 dimensional virtual interactions in a more natural waythen previous user input mechanisms used today. It should also beunderstood that the arrangement of the touchscreen inputs thecorresponding user inputs and associated functions can be pre-defined insoftware that is loaded into and executing in the device 15 processor.

Although an exemplary passive input device configuration having 4distinct user inputs has been disclosed, it can be appreciated thatother passive input device configurations are envisioned. For example,an array of user inputs and corresponding touchscreen inputs can beprovided. It should also be understood that other active input deviceconfigurations can also be implemented in accordance with the disclosedembodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.

Although FIG. 6A shows the user inputs positioned on the top and bottomsurfaces of the housing 12 and also shows that the leads run through theview divider 20 and through the top and bottom surfaces of the housingto corresponding user inputs, it can be appreciated that the leads canrun through any portions of the housing. It can be further appreciatedthat any number of the user inputs (29 a-29 d) can be located on anyportion of the housing and in any orientation or configuration.Moreover, it can be further appreciated that any number of touchscreeninputs (e.g., 26 a-26 d) can be located on the distal end 22 and in anyorientation or configuration.

Moreover, although the exemplary configuration provides the user inputsto the screen 17 at the central portion 14 of the display 17 via theview divider 20, other configurations are possible. For example, theviewer can provide such touchscreen inputs (e.g., 26 a-26 d) on asurface that abuts one or more other portions the display 17.

In accordance with the disclosed embodiments of the invention, theexemplary viewers can be configured to allow the user to mechanicallyinduce an electrical/capacitive touch event on the touchscreen. Furtherto the foregoing exemplary embodiments of the invention, additionalexemplary configurations of a viewer having an input mechanism, which isalso referred to as the user input assembly, configured to induce acapacitive touch event that is detectable by a touchscreen based onmutual-capacitance are further described herein. It can be appreciatedthat the exemplary implementation described herein can be adapted tomechanically induce input events on a variety of types of touchscreens(e.g., resistive touchscreen events, touch events). Additional exemplaryconfigurations of the viewer in accordance with the disclosedembodiments are further described herein in relation to FIGS. 7A-7F.

FIG. 7C depicts a perspective view of a viewer 700 assembled and havinga front side open showing the generally hollow interior of the viewer.Also shown is an input mechanism 715. The input mechanism is disposedwithin the interior 702 of the housing of the viewer 700. Moreover, atleast a portion of the input mechanism is also accessible from theexterior of the viewer such that a user can interact with the inputmechanism and cause the portion of the input mechanism contained withinthe housing to generate a touch input on the touch interface. Morespecifically, the input mechanism is moveable within the interiorbetween at least a first position (also referred to as an unactuatedstate), in which a portion of the input mechanism is retracted so as tonot contact a touchscreen of the mobile device, and an extended position(also referred to as the actuated state) in which a surface of the inputmechanism contacts the touch-screen of the mobile electronic. As shown,at least a portion of the input mechanism is centrally located withinthe housing and defines at least a portion of a view divider 710. Itshould be appreciated that the housing and or one or more portions ofthe input mechanism further described herein can be comprised of avariety of materials such as plastics, metals, composites, woods andother heavy paper-like materials (e.g., cardboard) and or other suchnatural and synthetic materials.

FIG. 7A depicts the view divider 710 with one side of the view dividerfolded back so as to expose a portion of the user input mechanism 715disposed within the interior of the viewer 700. The diagram also showsthe user input mechanism 715 in an unactuated state.

As shown, FIG. 7A depicts a distal end 720 of a user input portion ofthe user input mechanism, which in this exemplary implementation is alever. The proximal end (not shown) of the lever is accessible to a userfrom outside the viewer when assembled. The diagram depicts the inputassembly 715 in an unactuated state. Also shown is an electrical shield725. The electric shield is arranged such that at least a portion of theelectric shield is configured to contact the touch-screen of the mobileelectronic device when the input mechanism is in the extended position.The electrical shield is a material configured to, when brought inproximity to and/or touches the touchscreen, induce a touch event thatis electrically detectable by the touchscreen/device. In someimplementations, the electrical shield material can be a metallizedtextile/fabric or films, e.g., polymer film coated with a thin layer ofmetal, for example PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) films and Mylar(BoPET Biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate). Such metalizedmaterials are commonly used in anti-static bags. Moreover, theelectrical shield can be comprised of other metallic conductors,non-metallic conductors, metallized fabrics, metallized polymers,conductive polymers, conductive fabrics, flexographic inks, rigid flexprinted circuit board (PCB) and the like. As would be understood bythose skilled in the art, such materials have electrical propertiesthat, when a surface of the material is brought in proximity to atouchscreen and/or touches a touchscreen, can affect the electricalproperties detected at that location by the touchscreen device. Othermaterials having the requisite electrical properties can also be used,for example, inks or pastes with carbon such as black flexographic inkshaving capacitive touch properties that are printed on substrates.Moreover, it can be appreciated that a combination of materials can beused to provide a surface of the input mechanism that is configured toinduce a detectable touch input when the surface is touched to thetouchscreen. For example, the electric shield can include a conductivepolymer arranged to selectively contact the touchscreen and that iselectrically coupled to a metallized fabric or conductive ink applied toa surface of the housing and/or input mechanism.

In some implementations, the electric shield is configured (e.g., sizedand/or positioned) so as to have capacitive properties sufficient to bedetected by a capacitive touch-screen when the input mechanism is in theextended position and in the absence of human contact with the electricshield. However, it can also be appreciated that, in someimplementations, the electric shield can be electrically coupled to theportion of the input mechanism that is interacted with by the user suchthat electrical properties of the user's body can be utilized to inducethe touch input.

Also shown is a coupling 730 that is configured to move the inputmechanism towards the touchscreen when the lever is actuated. Thecoupling is a linkage that couples the portion of the input mechanismthat is accessible to the user from the exterior (e.g., the proximal endof the lever) to the surface of the input mechanism configured to touchthe touchscreen and induce a touch input. The coupling mechanicallytranslates user actuation of the portion of the input mechanism from theexterior of the housing into movement of the input mechanism within theinterior of the housing and causing a surface of the input mechanism totouch the touchscreen. For example, in the particular implementationshown in FIGS. 7A-7F, actuation of the lever causes the coupling todeform and extend in a direction towards the touchscreen, which in turnmoves a portion of the electrical shield towards the touchscreen.Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7A the coupling can be coupled to thehousing. As can be appreciated, coupling one or more portions of theinput mechanism to the housing can serve to support the input mechanismas well as guide the movement of the input mechanism during useractuation.

The coupling can be comprised of one or more flexible materials such asplastics, metals, composites, woods and other heavy paper-like materials(e.g., cardboard) and or other such natural and synthetic materials. Alinkage or coupling that is flexible can be beneficial in that thematerial memory causes the coupling to return to a resting state whenpressure is released from the lever which automatically pulls the inputmechanism away from the touchscreen. However, alternative methods forautomatically retracting the contact surface of the input mechanism canbe similarly implemented without departing from the scope of theinvention.

Although a particular exemplary linkage configuration is described inrelation to FIGS. 7A-7F, it can be appreciated that other linkageconfigurations can be implemented without departing from the scope ofthe invention. It can also be appreciated that, although the lever,coupling and metallic shield have been described as individualcomponents, the subject invention is not so limited as one or more ofthe foregoing components can be joined or integrally formed as singleunit. Similarly, it can also be appreciated that one or more of thecomponents of the input mechanism can be joined to the housing orintegrally formed with the housing m a permanent or temporary fashionusing any conventional manufacturing techniques.

In some implementations, a compressible pad 735, for example, a foam orfoam-like material can be disposed between the flexible coupling and theelectric shield. The pad can be placed between the flexible coupling andthe electrical shield 725 in at least the location where the couplingcontacts the metallic shield when extended (e.g., the back side of theelectrical shield where the front side of the shield material contactsthe touchscreen when extended). It can be appreciated that theelectrical shield can be attached to the foam material or unattached. Itcan also be appreciated that the pad can be coupled to the couplingeither directly or indirectly by one or more intermediate structuresthat comprise the input mechanism. The pad is used to create asufficiently sized contact surface between the front side of the shieldmaterial and the touchscreen so as to register a touch input event onthe screen (e.g., to simulate the size and shape of a finger). The padalso helps the surface of the input mechanism configured to touch thetouchscreen (i.e., the shield material) conform to the touchscreensurface when the input mechanism is in the extended position/actuatedstate.

It can be appreciated that various sizes and shapes of the pad can beused to induce a sufficient sized contact surf ace. It can also beappreciated that in some implementations the pad can be omitted. It canalso be appreciated that the metallic shield and pad may be integratedor combined into a single material such as conductive foam gaskets usedin Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) or Radio Frequency Interference(RFI) applications. It can also be appreciated that the pad can be sizedand/or shaped such that actuating the input mechanism with greater forcecauses a greater surf ace area of the electrical shield to be applied tothe screen which can be interpreted differently by the device than whena smaller surface area is detected by the touchscreen. This inputmechanism configuration can be used to provide a secondary signal fordetecting the amplitude of the users input, for example a method fordetecting the amount of force the user applied to the input.

A portion of the lever can be attached to or in communication with(i.e., touching) or integrally formed to at least a portion of thecoupling. For instance, as shown, the distal end of the lever can beabutting a portion of the coupling such that, when the lever is actuatedat a proximal end, movement of the distal end of the lever causes theplastic coupling to buckle and at least a portion of the couplingextends in the direction towards the touchscreen. In addition oralternatively, the coupling can be a structure that is flexibly coupledto one or more portions of the housing such that it moves in aprescribed manner when a lever is moved or a button is pushed by theuser.

FIG. 7A depicts the view divider 710 with one side of the view dividerfolded back so as to expose the user input assembly 715 disposed withinthe view divider of the viewer 700. The diagram also shows the userinput assembly 715 in an unactuated state.

FIG. 7B depicts the view divider 710 with one side of the view dividerfolded back so as to expose the user input assembly 715 disposed withinthe view divider of the viewer 700. The diagram also shows the userinput assembly 715 in an actuated state.

FIG. 7C depicts a perspective view of the viewer 700 assembled andshowing the view divider 710 and showing at least a portion of the userinput assembly 715 disposed within the interior of the housing 700. Thediagram also shows the user input assembly 715 in an unactuated state.As shown, the user input (lever) includes a proximal end portion 722that extends through a cut-cut in the housing of the viewer 700 and isaccordingly accessible to the user from the exterior of the housing. Itcan be appreciated that alternative configurations in which one or moreportions of the lever or other such mechanical actuators or portions ofthe input mechanism is accessible from the exterior of the viewer areenvisioned. For instance, the lever can be contained within the interiorof the housing and accessible to the user through a cut-out through anexternal wall of the housing.

FIG. 7D depicts a side view of the viewer 700 assembled and showing theview divider 710 and showing at least a portion of the user inputassembly 715 disposed within the interior of the viewer housing 700. Thefigure also shows the user input assembly 715 in an unactuated state.

FIG. 7E depicts a perspective view of the viewer 700 assembled andshowing the view divider 710 and showing at least a portion of the userinput assembly 715 disposed within the interior of the viewer housing700. The diagram also shows the user input assembly 715 in an actuatedstate where the electrical shield is extended out of the cut-out in theview divider.

FIG. 7F depicts a side view of the viewer 700 assembled and showing theview divider 710 and showing at least a portion of the user inputassembly 715 disposed within the interior of the viewer 700. The diagramalso shows the user input assembly 715 in an actuated state where theelectrical shield is extended out of the cut-out 712 in the viewdivider.

When a user device is placed within the viewer, such that thetouchscreen is facing the interior of the viewer and near the viewdivider, actuating the user input assembly by actuating the lever cancause the coupling to flex and therefore cause the electrical shield toextend towards and touch the touchscreen of the user device. In thisexemplary implementation, the coupling and shield extend out of acut-out in the view divider. As a result, the device can detect thechange in an electrical property at one or more locations of the screen,which is caused by the electrical shield touching (or approaching) thetouch-sensitive display.

Accordingly, it can be appreciated that, what is provided is a virtualreality viewer for use with an electronic touchscreen device comprisinga housing for receiving and holding a touchscreen display device withinan interior region of the housing. The viewer further comprising aninput mechanism that is accessible from an exterior of the housing andis moveable within the interior between at least a first position and anextended position, wherein a surface of the input mechanism isconfigured to contact the touch-screen of the mobile electronic devicewhen in the extended position. In one particular implementation, theinput mechanism comprises a lever having a proximal end that is exposedto the exterior of the housing and a distal end disposed within thehousing, whereby the proximal end of the lever is accessible by a userfrom the exterior of the housing and actuation (e.g., movement) of thelever at the proximal end translates to mechanical movement of thedistal end. The viewer further comprising a coupling attached to or incommunication with the distal end of the lever such that, when the leveris actuated at the proximal end, movement of the lever causes at least aportion of the coupling to move toward a back wall of the housing, e.g.,extend or move in a direction of the touchscreen. The viewer furthercomprises an electrical shield, wherein the electrical shield is amaterial configured to induce a touch event that is electricallydetectable by a touchscreen/device when at least a portion of the shieldcontacts or is in proximity to a touchscreen. In addition, the portionof the electrical shield is positioned between the coupling and thetouchscreen such that movement of the coupling advances at least theportion of the electrical shield material toward the touchscreen so asto induce the touch event. Moreover, the viewer can further comprise acompressible pad disposed between the portion of the coupling and theelectrical shield, wherein the pad is attached to the coupling and issized, shaped and has the softness/rigidness to create a sufficientlysized contact point for generating a touchscreen detection event on thetouchscreen device. The compressible pad and electrical shield materialwork to mimic the electrical and physical properties of a human fingerso that any form of touch screen technology will register a touch eventwhen the lever mechanism is actuated. As would be understood by thoseskilled in the art the combination of physical, and electricalproperties of this pad electrical shield material can be tuned to workon a variety of touch screen technologies such as capacitive, resistive,or conductive touch screen technologies. As previously noted, in someimplementations, one or more components of the exemplary user inputassembly can be integrated into or part of the view divider.

According to a salient aspect, the viewer and the exemplaryelectro-mechanical user input assembly is configured to allow a user tointeract with the touch sensitive screen without access to the touchsensitive screen while within the viewer. Moreover, the exemplary viewerand user input assembly can be configured to allow a user to interactwith the touch sensitive screen without reliance on the electricalproperties of the human body to induce the electrical event. Forinstance, the metallized film 725 can be sized such that it is suitablefor inducing a touch event without requiring user contact therewith. Inaddition or alternatively, the portion of the metallized film that isconfigured to touch the screen can be accessible to receiving a userouch. For instance, a portion of the metallized film can be exposed onthe lever 722 or otherwise accessible to the user on an externalsurface.

As would be understood by those skilled in the art, the mobileelectronic device, which has a processor executing instructions in theform of code, can detect that electrical property change at the one ormore locations and interpret the change as one or more prescribed userinteractions. In some implementations, the user interaction can beinterpreted as a simple click event. In some implementations, a varietyof possible user interactions can be detected as a function of thelocation of the touch event on the touchscreen (e.g., as caused bydifferent input mechanisms configured to cause touch inputs atrespective locations on the touchscreen), the duration of the touchevent, the size of the area of the touchscreen registering the touchevent, and the like. These detected aspects of the touch event can beinterpreted and translated into one or more prescribed inputinstructions, for example, a left mouse click or a right mouse click, adouble click, or as the user moving a cursor, a virtual gesture such asa grab, push, pull, throw, pinch or as a scaled input instruction suchas a hold softly or hold firmly or other such functions.

Moreover, user interactions detected by the touch sensitive display canbe interpreted in combination with one or more other input devices. Morespecifically, a user interaction detected can be interpreted in light ofother input data received by the user device from other on-board inputdevices or data sources, for example and without limitation, anaccelerometer that detects the orientation and location of the device ora camera or 3d scanner that detects the physical environment of the useror portions of the user's body position. In addition, the housing canalso include one or more additional user input devices electricallycoupled to the mobile device by a wireless or wired connection, suchthat inputs via the electro-mechanical input mechanism can be providedto the mobile device in addition to inputs provided using the additionalinput device. For example, based on the orientation and location of thedevice and the information being viewed by the user on the device, thedevice can determine that a user is looking at an interactive virtualicon using the viewer. Paired with the user actuation of the user inputmechanism and the detection of a touch input, the device can interpretthe combined user input (e.g. accelerometer data and the touchinteraction data) as a “mouse click” on that particular virtual icon oras a grab or hold of that virtual item or icon. Another example might becombining the accelerometer data for device position, camera data fromthe device capturing the user's physical environment, and a touch eventfrom the mechanism described in this invention in a way that allows theuser to select a real physical item to scan/import into a virtual oraugmented reality interface allowing for the digital manipulation of thephysical item or overlaying additional information about the physicalitem.

It can also be appreciated that the user input mechanism can be adaptedto induce user interactions at a variety of different locations ormultiple user input assemblies can be provided to facilitate morecomplex user inputs.

It is to be understood that like numerals in the drawings represent likeelements through the several figures, and that not all components and/orsteps described and illustrated with reference to the figures arerequired for all embodiments or arrangements.

The subject matter described above is provided by way of illustrationonly and should not be construed as limiting. The terminology usedherein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only andis not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, thesingular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the pluralforms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It willbe further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising”,when used in this specification, specify the presence of statedfeatures, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, butdo not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features,integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groupsthereof.

Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including,” “comprising,” or “having,” “containing,” “involving,” andvariations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listedthereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.

The subject matter described above is provided by way of illustrationonly and should not be construed as limiting. Various modifications andchanges can be made to the subject matter described herein withoutfollowing the example embodiments and applications illustrated anddescribed, and without departing from the true spirit and scope of thepresent invention, as set forth in each and any of the following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a housing having aportion configured to receive a mobile electronic device having atouchscreen display, the housing further including multiple lenses; aninput device accessible from an exterior of the housing; and a contactelement located within an interior of the housing, the contact elementresponsive to the input device and the contact element moveable withinthe interior of the housing between at least a first position and asecond position, wherein in the second position a surface of the contactelement is configured to generate a detectable touch event at thetouch-screen display of the mobile electronic device.
 2. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the contact element is configured to generate thedetectable touch event at the touchscreen display while the mobileelectronic device is located within the interior of the housing.
 3. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the input device comprises a tactile userinput device.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the housing has a topsurface, a bottom surface, a front surface, a back surface, and two sidesurfaces.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the back surface supportstwo lenses.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the contact element iscoupled via a conductive lead to the input device.
 7. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the input device comprises an active input device. 8.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input device is configured toreceive a user input at the exterior of the housing and provide anindication of the received user input, via the contact element, to thetouchscreen display.
 9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the touchevent, based on the user input, is provided to the touchscreen displayat a position located within a central portion of the touchscreendisplay.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the central portion ofthe touchscreen display is not viewable, via the lenses, by either eyeof a user.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the contact element isconfigured to provide inputs to the mobile electronic device in a mannerthat does not disturb the field of view of a left eye or a right eye ofa user.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the contact elementcomprises a touchscreen input device.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12,wherein the touchscreen input device is electrically coupled to theinput device.
 14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the input device isconfigured to sense a user interaction and transmit a signal based onthe sensed user interaction to the touchscreen display via the touchscreen input device and via a conductive lead that couples the inputdevice and the touchscreen input device.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14,wherein the conductive lead runs through at least a portion of thehousing.
 16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the touchscreen inputdevice comprises a conductive material.
 17. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the input device is configured to receive user interactions. 18.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the input deviceis exposed externally with respect to an exterior surface of thehousing.
 19. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the input device isconfigured to detect a user action.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19,wherein the input device is configured to relay a signal based on theuser action to the touchscreen display.
 21. An apparatus comprising: ahousing having a portion configured to receive a mobile electronicdevice having a touchscreen display, the housing further includingmultiple lenses; an input device accessible from an exterior of thehousing; and a contact element located within an interior of thehousing, the contact element electro-mechanically coupled, via a linkageelement, to the input device, the contact element moveable within theinterior of the housing between at least a first position and a secondposition, wherein in the second position the contact element isconfigured to generate a touch event at the touch-screen of the mobileelectronic device.
 22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the contactelement is configured to move from the first position to the secondposition in response to a user interaction detected at the input device.23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the user interaction comprises adepression of a depressible button.
 24. The apparatus of claim 21,wherein the linkage element comprises a conductive lead that runsthrough at least a portion of the interior of the housing.
 25. Theapparatus of claim 21, wherein the contact element has a conductivesurface, and at least a portion of the conductive surface is configuredto contact a region of the touchscreen display of the mobile electronicdevice when the contact element is in the second position.
 26. Theapparatus of claim 25, wherein the region comprises a central region.27. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the linkage element is made froma flexible material.
 28. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising amemory material coupled to the linkage element, the memory materialconfigured to bias the linkage element toward the first position. 29.The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the contact element comprises one ormore of a conductive foam, a compressible material, a metallizedmaterial, a metallized fabric, a metallized polymer, a conductivepolymer, a flexographic ink, and/or a non-metallic conductor.
 30. Avirtual reality viewer apparatus comprising: a housing having a portionconfigured to receive a mobile electronic device having a touch-screen,the housing further including a sidewall structure that supports atleast two lenses, an input device that comprises a depressible button,the input device accessible from an exterior of the housing; and acontact element electro-mechanically coupled, via a linkage element, tothe input device, the contact element moveable within an interior of thehousing between at least a first position and a second position, whereinin the second position a surface of the contact element is configured togenerate a detectable touch event at the touch-screen of the mobileelectronic device, wherein the linkage element comprises a conductivelead that runs through at least a portion of the interior of thehousing.